Very wide-spread classes of organic compounds are hydrocarbons which include in particular petroleum. Petroleum consists of a mixture of hydrocarbons, sulfur compounds, heterocyclic compounds, etc. These different substances vary substantially with respect to their properties. The behavior of petroleum in the environment depends on the physical properties thereof, such as boiling point and water solubility, the chemical properties, such as chemical and photochemical decomposability and toxicity, and the biological properties which include biological decomposability and bio accumulation ability.
Petroleum that gets into the marine environment will first of all float on the water surface since its specific weight is smaller than that of sea water, and will form a more or less thick oil film there. By means of wave movements and flows, a horizontal trans-port on the water takes place in which the oil moreover spreads across the area. As a function of the physical and chemical properties, parts of the oil film transit to the adjacent environment compartments such as air and water. The extent and the rate of these transitions depend decisively on the prevailing environmental conditions such as, for instance, wind, waves, and temperature. The higher the temperature, the greater the wind strength and the higher the waves, the larger the share of oil that evaporates or dissolves. Apart from these processes, however, some oil components floating on the water surface may also be decomposed chemically and photochemically. The major portion of the oil is in addition subject to a biological decomposition by autochthonous, specific oil-decomposing bacteria.
In other ecological regions, for instance, in soil, accidents occur time and again during the exploitation, the transportation, the processing, and the storage of oil or oil products, wherein larger amounts of oil or oil products emanate from the pipelines, transporters, or containers intended for them and contaminate the surrounding soil. Here, too, the problem arises that the oil contaminations modify their state under the influence of the atmospheric conditions in that easily volatile components evaporate and the remaining, high-boiling and viscous components increasingly clump together and resinify. In the course of time, the oil in addition penetrates at various depths into the soil with serious groundwater contamination being able to occur.
A number of methods for the conversion of petroleum products have already been known. Thus, GB 1 354 543 describes, for instance, a method for converting a petroleum product to a biologically decomposable emulsion by mixing a specific microorganism nutrient solution and an organic acid in water. Micro emulsions containing surfactants are known from EP 1 113 863 B1. These micro emulsions act as accelerators for the biological decomposition of hydrophobic pollutions, for instance, hydrocarbons. A composition on the basis of surfactants for the dispersion of hydrocarbons in water, in particular in sea water, is described in GB 2 115 311 A. Finally, CA 2 229 761 C describes a method for the biological decomposition of a sludge on oil basis containing a mixture of petroleum hydrocarbons. This method takes place in a reactor, wherein an aqueous solution is formed from an oil-in-water emulsion of the sludge on oil basis, a bacterial culture, and nutrients for the bacterial culture. This aqueous solution may contain a surfactant.
The use of a dispersant against oil pollutions in particular in marine areas results in a dissolution of the oil layer into very many little droplets, so that the oil surface increases and decomposing processes by available bacteria are enhanced. Thereby, the autochthonous flora of the respective location is used. According to experience, this is, however, frequently not very lavish and, above all in acute cases, not adapted to the location. Hence, there may arise substantial disturbances in the ecological system. It is especially important to contain the effects of oil catastrophes on the marine environment and also on such areas that are strongly contaminated by oil contamination, for instance, soils.
Substantial damages to the environment also result from the contamination with fats, oils, waxes, and derivatives thereof. In many areas, fats, oils, waxes, and derivatives thereof which may disturb the ecological balance are often discharged. Here, too, there exists considerable demand of removing such contaminations with ecologically compatible solutions.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a technology by means of which the decomposition of contaminants in media polluted with organic compounds is performed in an accelerated manner in an ecologically acceptable way, wherein such environments may be treated which have only a weak and unadapted populating by autochthonous microorganisms.
It is also an object of the present invention to provide a product by which the user is capable of quickly and practically treat the pollution by means of organic compounds directly on the spot.